FALL RIVER — A Fall River man will be sentenced next month for setting fires to four city mills in April 2010.

Though he was previously determined to be mentally ill, Donald E. Combs III, 38, of 137 Flint St., had been ruled competent to stand trial, according to court records.

On June 27, Combs pleaded guilty to four counts of burning a building in Fall River Superior Court. He was sent to Bridgewater State Hospital to be evaluated so the court can determine the appropriate facility for him to serve his sentence.

A copy of Combs’ most recent mental evaluation is impounded in Fall River Superior Court.

A Bristol County grand jury indicted Combs in June 2010. Authorities said he set fire to mills on Alden Street, Quarry Street and Quequechan Street on two separate days in April 2010.

Combs is also facing a second-degree arson charge in Rhode Island, where he is alleged to have set fire to the Bourne Mill complex in Tiverton in September 2009.

That case is still pending.

Combs was apprehended after Fall River police found him in possession of a video camera containing a tape that showed images from inside some of the mills, according to court records.

The video in Combs’ camera showed footage of Combs in a restricted, closed-off area of the Cardi’s mill, as well as footage of the fire taken from behind bushes, according to The Herald News archives.

After an interview with Combs, investigators returned to the mill, where they found footprints consistent with Combs’ shoes and a 40-ounce beer bottle. Combs had told police that he drank a 40-ounce beer earlier in the day after police detected an odor of alcohol on his breath.

Also located was a broken off piece of a video recorder that matched Combs’ video recorder, police said.

The police incident report said the Cardi’s mill fire was started at nine separate points, all done with just a lighter and no accelerants.

After securing a search warrant for Combs’ Flint Street address, police arrested Combs and confiscated a small arsenal of fireworks, including two packs of an item called Thunder Bombs, as well as drug paraphernalia.

Superior court records show that Combs is a registered Level 2 sex offender who was convicted at age 16 of rape of a child under 16. He also has a long criminal history dating to back to when he was 14 that includes previous arrests for drug offenses, breaking and entering, and assaults, according to court records.

An October 2012 evaluation at Bridgewater State Hospital said Combs is mentally ill with a previous diagnosis of bipolar disorder.

Combs has suffered from severe depression and hallucinations, and reported being suicidal around the time of his arrest. However, despite his cognitive limitations, the evaluation said he was competent enough to stand trial, according to court records.